Definition of Homeless
McKinney-Vento defines homeless students as those who lack a fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residence. This includes:

Children and youth who:

are forced to share the housing of other persons due to the loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason;

live in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camping grounds due to the lack of alternative adequate accommodations;

live in emergency or transitional shelters;

are abandoned in hospitals; or

are awaiting foster care placement;

Children and youth who have a primary nighttime residence that is not designed for or ordinarily used as regular sleeping accommodation for human beings;

Children and youth who live in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or similar settings; or

Migratory children are considered homeless when they are living in circumstances set forth in items 1, 2 and 3.

Unaccompanied Youth are students who are not in the physical custody of a parent/guardian and are living in a homeless situation.

Homeless students have certain educational rights and are able to:

enroll without delay in school without proof of residency, immunization, school records, other documents or while documentation is being obtained;

choose between the local school where they are living or the school last attended before becoming homeless, when requested by the parent and determined by
the district to be feasible and in the student’s best interest;

attend school and participate in school programs with children who are not homeless; and

receive all the school services available to other students including transportation services, special educational
services where applicable, and meals through the school meals programs

Eligibility:
To be considered eligible or for more information regarding homeless education services, contact the Homeless Education Program
(HEP) office at 678-503-0173. Eligible students or their families should complete a
Student Residency Statement (SRS) Form which is
available here or at their local school. Completed forms can be faxed to the HEP office at 770-437-5935 (fax) or given to the local school.

Renewal is not automatic. Eligibility for homeless education services is for one school year only. Each school year, families or students should submit
a new SRS form or request for homeless eligibility after July 1 in order to determine if a student continues to qualify for homeless services.

The School District does not discriminate on the basis of race, national origin, color, sex,
disability or age in administering the McKinney-Vento Act. See the “Chart of Responsibilities for Responses to Civil Rights Concerns” in
this Guide for the title, telephone number and address of the person(s) responsible for coordinating compliance efforts related to Title VI,
Title IX, Section 504, Title II, and the Age Discrimination Act.